[jenniegirl]

Originally Posted by gcrhodenrnc

I've been an L/D nurse for 14 years. I started out on Mother/Baby and soon after went to L/D. I have always wanted to be a midwife so I started back to school a few years ago, and I'll be getting my BSN this summer. My plans are to go to the Fronteir School of Midwifery. I've heard it's a great school, most of the work is online. Except for the clinicals of course. The one thing the school did have to say about doing my clinicals was that I wouldn't be able to do them in the place I'm employed. They suggested that I could transfer out of the L/D unit while I did my clinicals, for example, transfer to NICU until my clinicals are over then transfer back to L/D, however, I simply will do my clinicals at the other hospital in town. I didn't want to transfer out of L/D. Good luck with getting into L/D, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I want to be a nurse in L/D and am wondering what the best route is for me to take as far as schooling goes. Would you mind telling me how you got to where you are now? Did you get your LPN first or just go straight to your RN? Did you go to a vo-tech school or a college? Did you have to wait a long time to get into L/D? Do you have any suggestions for me based on your experiences as to what would be the quickest way to get to where you are now if you could do it all again?

[CYR]

I was a pre-health intern at a hospital L&D unit for 4 months as well as a birth partner for teenage mothers having county hospital deliveries. I had my own 3 children with a midwife, the first at her free-standing birth center and the last 2 at home. I am SO glad I made that decision esp. after what I observed in the hospital. We need more truly educated midwives who have a real understanding about the birth process! I feel so passionate about this that I just may have to become one myself! I think good midwives have to have been exposed to a lot of "unremarkable", baby-centered and parent-centered births and experienced (not necessarily personally!) the dynamic and powerful process of totally supported home births. It is a given that one will learn complications and high risk situations but if one never experiences the latter, a huge chunk will be missing. Seek and you shall find!